Israel´s Counterterrorism Bureau issued an urgent warning to Israeli
tourists in Sinai on Saturday morning urging them to leave the
peninsula immediately, citing a "critical and immediate threat."

"Based on information in our possession, terrorist organizations in
the Gaza Strip are continuing to work energetically to carry out
terrorist attacks against Israeli targets on Sinai´s beaches in the
immediate term," the Bureau said in a statement.

The organization called on the families of Israeli tourists currently
staying in Sinai to contact their relatives and inform them of the
warning.

On average, some 3,000 people pass through the border crossing
between Israel and Sinai every day, but most of them are not Israeli
tourists, according to the Israel Airports Authority.

Two weeks ago, Egypt announced it was launching an operation to
eliminate terrorism in northern Sinai by sending in hundreds of
police officers and special forces, along with armored vehicles.

Since the fall of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, Sinai has experienced
a wave of violent attacks against tourists and infrastructure, with a
key pipeline carrying natural gas to Israel and Jordan being blown up
repeatedly by assailants.